Curiosity
by Seleen 2
Summary: Ginny Weasley has been acting very odd. So has Blaise Zabini. As Hermione and Draco attempt to discover their best friends' secret, they run into each other. Just what is going on and what will Draco and Hermione's curiosity lead to?
1. Chapter 1

Hermione sat in the Gryffindor Common Room with Ginny, laughing at the latest letter Fred and George had sent them. With Harry and Ron away hunting for Horcruxes, the two girls were left to fend for themselves at Hogwarts. Hermione didn't mind, she and Ron had parted on somewhat awkward terms. Just as Hermione had given up hope of Ron ever returning her feelings, he had admitted to being attracted to her but it was too late. She had let go of the idea and once she set her mind to something, she stuck to it. Perhaps after the fighting, when things settled down and she had a moment to think, they could try again. For now, though, there were more important things. Ginny, however, was unreadable. She seemed to be continuing on as though nothing had happened. Or so Hermione had though, until the younger girl had started sneaking off at odd hours.

"Hermione, look at this! Their newest product causes boys to feel the pain us girls have to feel during that time of month!" Ginny laughed, handing her the letter.

"What?" She exclaimed, taking the letter and reading it through. "They're advertising it as the perfect revenge for a cheating or inconsiderate boyfriend."

"It's brilliant, really. How many times have Harry and Ron been complete tossers when we were PMSing? Wish we'd had it then!"

"How they even managed to create this is beyond me," Hermione giggled. Fred and George really were quite inventive. She would definitely be visiting the shop in Diagon Alley soon to pick up some of their latest creations.

"Damn, I've got to go, Mione." Ginny said, gathering her things. "It's already ten and I've got a Potions test tomorrow."

"Alright, I should be getting back to the Heads' Dorm anyway; it wouldn't do for the Head Girl to be out after curfew." Hermione sighed. The Heads' Dorm should have been a wonderful place for her, except for one Draco Malfoy. He was Head Boy this year, a decision she thought completely mad, but of course she kept her mouth shut when it was announced. A Head Girl was mature and didn't complain on the account of petty things such as House Rivalry.

_Never mind his status as an up-and-coming Death Eater…_ She though dryly. Well, it was out of her hands. The most she could do was make sure the arrogant prat wasn't up to no good. Oddly enough, he'd been inconspicuous this year, hardly speaking to anyone and focusing on his studies. Probably his way of staying off the radar.

"Is there anything you have any questions on?" She asked Ginny kindly, knowing what a nightmare Snape's tests could be.

Ginny looked startled at her offer, glancing nervously about the Common Room. "No, I've, uh, got it all sorted. Thanks though."

Hermione suppressed all of the questions she had. Questions on Ginny's strange behavior and why she was always so antsy. "Well…. Just let me know, I suppose. I'll be off then."

"Goodnight!" Ginny called, moving towards the Girl's Dorm as Hermione made her way to the portrait hole.

Once outside, she ducked behind a large suit of armor and waited. It didn't take long. About fifteen minutes later, Ginny poked her head out, glancing around carefully before stepping out of the Common Room and quietly shut the Portrait behind her.

"Not too late tonight, dear." The Fat Lady told her.

"Of course." Ginny said, looking rather guilty.

"Oh, don't feel bad. I've seen it all." The Fat Lady smiled knowingly. Ginny nodded her thanks and walked swiftly down the hall. Moving as silently as she could, Hermione followed her. Down the stairs, past the Great Hall and down more stairs. Into the Dungeons. How peculiar…

She shivered as she tiptoed behind the red head. Merlin, Ginny could walk fast! And it was bloody freezing down here! Suddenly, Ginny turned opened the door to an empty classroom and quickly shut it behind her.

"Damn." Hermione muttered, leaning against the wall.

"You?" A voice asked behind her. She spun, whipping out her wand. Malfoy stood behind her looking both confused and annoyed. "You're who Blaise has been sneaking off to see every night?"

"Blaise?" Hermione asked, lowering her wand slightly. "What are you on about, Malfoy?"

"Don't play dumb, Granger." He sneered at her, "Blaise has been sneaking off several times a week and acting very odd. Now I know why."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Hermione snapped. This night was just bizarre.

"What did you do? What have you got against him? Like he would ever willingly touch you." He snarled, taking a step towards her.

"Back off, Malfoy." Hermione spat, "I don't what the hell you're talking about. I followed Ginny down here since; she too, has been sneaking off… Oh my…You don't think…?"

"Ginny…Ginny Weasley? The Weaselette? No way…" Malfoy said, more to himself then her. "Makes sense, in a way. Always had a thing for red heads."

He continued to mumble to himself for a few minutes, before looking at her again.

"Are you done talking to yourself?"

He sighed, "Lower your bloody wand, Granger. I'm not going to attack you."

"Oh, of course n-"There was a slight scuffling sound from the other side of the classroom door. The next thing she knew, she was yanked into a nearby alcove and the feeling of something wet, slimy, and cold being poured over her head came over her. There was an arm around her waist and a hand covering her mouth. She squirmed violently, trying to free herself.

"Shh." Malfoy whispered, his mouth dangerously close to her ear. She could feel his hot breath on her neck.

Blaise Zabini stepped out into the corridor, wand raised. "Is anyone there? Show yourself!"

Hermione and Draco stood as still as possible, barely breathing as Zabini walked a few feet up and down the hall. When he found nothing, he went back into the classroom, shutting the door.

"I think you can let go of me now…" Hermione said uncertainly, stepping away as soon as he loosened his hold on her. "Well…That's interesting."

"Interesting?" Malfoy said, after removing the Disillusionment Charm he'd placed on them. "It's fucking weird!"

"Lower your voice, damn it!" She snapped, "Do you want him to come back out?"

"Yes, I do. Someone needs to shake some sense into him!" Malfoy growled, moving towards the door. Hermione leapt into his path, pushing him back.

"No!"

"Keep your filthy hands off of me!"

"Would you just relax for a minute? You're about to barge in there and do what exactly?" She asked, holding her ground between him and the door.

"Tell him exactly what the consequences of his currently idiotic actions are!"

"Why is that, exactly? It's a great show of inter-house unity, in my opinion." She told him.

"This may come as a shock to you, Granger, but your opinion doesn't mean a damn thing to me. And inter-house unity? Figures you'd think of something like that. I'm a little more concerned with the war and the fact that they are on opposite sides. This little…whatever it is, could get them both killed!"

"Or it could be what saves him…" Hermione pointed out.

"What makes you think he is the one who needs saving?" He asked coldly.

"Oh please Malfoy, we both know you don't believe any of that Pureblood supremacist nonsense, you're smarter than that." She protested, knowing full well he was only on the Dark Side to protect his family.

"It doesn't matter! It still puts them both in danger."

"Don't act like you care about her!"

"Alright, Granger. I don't give a damn about what happens to the she-weasel. But Blaise probably does."

"Perhaps we could just speak with them. It would be the most logical thing to do." Hermione said, though she was a bit uncertain about that whole idea. Who knew how pissed Ginny would be when she found out that Hermione had followed her?

"Oh, yes. Very brilliant Granger, since, you know, the most logical course is always the best." Malfoy let out an irritated sigh. "Damn Gryffindors. Alright, here's the deal. We say nothing for a few days. Watch them; see how often they meet up."

"And find out what they're doing." She pointed out.

"It's a bit obvious, isn't it?"

In spite of herself, Hermione felt her cheeks heat up. "Well, yes. I suppose it is. Still, you never know. It could be a casual hook-up type thing or something serious. Either way we need to gather information before we make any more assumptions."

"Fine. We'll 'gather information'." He agreed mockingly, "Now what?"

"We wait for them to leave and then head back to the Heads' Dorms."

"That could be hours!"

"Like Zabini has that much stamina." She shot back with a wicked smirk. It shocked her when Malfoy actually _smiled_ at her remark.

"Too right you are, Granger." He smirked, "I give it another fifteen to twenty minutes and they'll be out."

"Care to put some money where your mouth is, Malfoy?"

"What, finally sick of Weasley's scraps?"

"Oh shut it." She snapped, stepping further into the alcove and placing another Disillusionment charm on herself. Within seconds, Malfoy had done the same. It was odd, she could feel his presence, but she couldn't see him. "I'm not with Ron, you know."

"Wonderful. And you're telling me this, because…?" He trailed off.

"I don't know. I just hate when people make assumptions about me, I guess."

"Right. Like back in Fourth Year when everyone assumed you were fucking Krum." He laughed.

"Yes. Though some rumors can be true sometimes." There, let him make of that what he will, she thought darkly.

"Touché, Granger."

They sat in silence for what seemed like eternity. The corridor was damp and cold. Both were just about ready to give up when the door opened and Blaise appeared, leading a tired looking Ginny by the hand. The two looked up and down the corridor before heading towards the entrance hall. Suddenly, Hermione felt a hand groping her.

"Malfoy, that's my tit!" She hissed.

"Sorry." He sniggered, "Just trying to get your attention. Let's go."

They set off as silently possible, both hidden under their powerful charms. It didn't take long to catch up to the couple, who quickly kissed each other goodnight and parted ways.

"Well," Malfoy stated, removing his charm once the coast was clear. "Best be off to bed."

Once again they set off in silence, but it wasn't awkward. They were both lost in thought, wondering how something like this could have come to be. Hermione thought it best not to speculate, while Draco had a swarm of scenarios racing around in his head. Inside the safety of their Common Room, they stared uncomfortably at one another.

"Erm…I guess we'll come up with a more detailed plan tomorrow?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah… Tomorrow then." Malfoy said, going to his room and closing the door firmly behind him.

Hermione did the same and leaned against the door after shutting it behind her. She sank slowly to the floor, one hand tangled in her hair. She hadn't known what to expect, but that had been nothing anyone could have anticipated.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Like it? Hate it? Let me know! This will probably be two-three chapters long, unless I get caught up in it! **


	2. Chapter 2

"Oi! Granger! Wake up!" Hermione groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over her face. The knocking and shouting continued, though. "Granger! Get your lazy arse out of bed!"

Irritated, she jumped out of bed and stormed over to the door, yanking it open. "Malfoy. It is seven in the morning. On a Friday. I have no classes till ten and neither do you. What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

"Waking you up so we can figure out what to do about Blaise and the Weaselette." He paused, looking uncomfortable. "Erm, Granger. You should put a robe on or something."

She glanced down. "Oh." She was standing in the doorway in only her knickers and an old Gryffindor tank top. Fantastic. "Right…I'll be out in a moment then."

Mortified, she closed the door and dashed to the wardrobe, pulling out a pair of black sweats. Once she was decent and had taken a second to semi-tame her hair, she exited the room. Surprisingly, there was breakfast laid out on the coffee table and Malfoy was seated in an arm chair, sipping tea.

"Alright, what's going on?"

"Whatever do you mean, Granger?" He asked innocently, setting down his tea and reaching for a scone and some jam.

"Forget it. What's the plan?" She said, sitting down on the couch and busying herself with a cup of coffee.

He froze mid-bite. "I was hoping you'd have come up with something…"

"You're the one who's been up since the crack of dawn!"

"And you're the know-it-all. I assumed you wouldn't sleep until you had a plan, written down, edited, and finalized with back up plans B and C already in progress."

"Sod off, Malfoy." She snapped. "So that's it then? You've got nothing and you woke me up at this ungodly hour hoping I would?"

"Pretty much."

"Prat."

"Bitch."

"Wanker."

"Floozy."

"Did you just call me a floozy?" She asked, amazed. What the hell kind of insult was that? To her of all people?

"Yes. Yes I did." He smirked, "Now, back to business. You need to tell Weaselette that you know what she's doing and it needs to stop."

"Her name is _Ginny._"

"Fine. Tell _Ginny_ to stop this idiocy before they both get themselves killed."

"And why can't you simply tell Zabini to do that instead?" She protested.

"His name is _Blaise." _He mocked, "And I can't do that because Blaise is about as stubborn as it gets."

"Must be a Pureblood thing." She remarked, earning her a glare. "And I take it breakfast was your way of bribing me to do this?"

"Is it working?"

"Absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"We agreed last night that we'd gather information and then figure out what to do from there. In fact, you were the one who said we shouldn't even say anything to them!" She snarled.

"Well, I've changed my mind. This needs to end. Now." He snarled back.

"Alright, what is really going on?" She demanded. She could see it now. Something had changed, literally overnight. He was being too civil towards her and now she wanted to know why.

"What do you mean? Aside from those two fucking and endangering their lives, obviously." His hands were balled into fists and his anger radiated off him.

"Obviously." She snapped. "Now why don't you tell me the other obvious part. Like what happened to make you want to pull them apart as soon as possible."

"Pull them..?" He shook his head in disbelief. "They could both die from this stupid relationship or whatever it is and you're talking about it like they're in a love affair that actually stands a chance!"

"Who says it doesn't?" She challenged.

"Not in this world, princess."

"And that's exactly the problem!" She nearly shouted, "This stupid war and all this hate is ruining everyone's lives and now two people who might possibly be in love could die for simply giving a shit about someone from the opposite side! I mean, it's not like either of them have a choice. Their parents started all this and now they have to live with the consequences, even if it means not being able to be with the person they love. It's completely mental!"

Hermione was breathing hard at the end of her tirade and the two of them stared at each other in silence, unsure of what to say. Finally, Draco spoke. "You're right. It's fucked. But we can't let them do this alone… Look, Granger, I can't tell you why it is imperative that we speak with at least one of them today, but I can tell you it's important and they need to know that they're not being careful enough, at the very least."

"Fine. We should at least watch them today, to see if we can figure out how serious they are. Ginny has Potions' last today, I'll speak with her after that. For now, let's just find a way to excuse ourselves from class all day so we can follow them." She sighed. This was a mess. A complete and total bloody mess, but she wasn't going to let Ginny be put in harm's way or go through any of this alone.

"The Ball."

"What?"

"The Halloween Ball, it's in a little over a week. We could say we need to go over the plans for it, finalize everything and shift around some of the decorations because one of the Prefects screwed up." He told her, looking proud of himself for having come up with an idea so quickly.

"And which one of the Prefects do we pin this little charade on?"

Draco smirked, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Blaise, of course."

"Alright. Let's get to it then. I'm going to dress; you go speak to Snape about us being out of class all day."

"Why Snape?"

She mirrored his smirk. "He is your Godfather, isn't he?"

After he had left, she quickly showered and dress, taming her hair with a charm Ginny had taught her over the summer. It eliminated the frizz and now her hair was just a strange combination of waves and curls. It was better than nothing, she supposed. Slipping her wand up her sleep, she went out to the Common Room to wait for Malfoy.

Wait for Malfoy. She, Hermione Granger, was sitting here, waiting for Malfoy. Absolutely insane, it was. They were stuck in this together though, for now. She hoped it would all be over quickly. She knew he was a Death Eater and that he had allowed Death Eater's to enter the Castle last year. But she also knew that he had done it out of fear for his life and for his family. He did it to protect people and maybe that didn't make it okay, but it did make him a little more respectable. She'd rather he do it because he had few other options, then out of simple hatred for people like herself.

She was so lost in thought, she nearly flew out of her seat when the door was flung open and Malfoy walked in, looking particularly frustrated.

"How'd it go? Are we excused?" She asked.

"Fine. It went just bloody peachy, in fact. We're excused from all classes today." He snapped.

"Then what's your issue?"

"He implied that he knew this wasn't about some stupid dance and that we'd best watch ourselves because, and I quote 'what we are doing could cost us everything'." He drawled in an almost perfect imitation of Snape's voice.

"Was he implying that…that we..?" She stuttered, dumbfounded. Then she let out a small giggle.

"You think this is funny?"

She let out a full blown laugh then, dropping to the floor. "You-you have to admit! The sheer…irony!"

She looked up at him, shaking with laughter. Small tears were escaping her eyes and she couldn't stop laughing. Malfoy pressing his lips together to keep from laughing only made it worse. And then he was laughing too and neither of them could stop and Hermione decided he should do that more, laugh and smile and not be all dark and brooding. She couldn't tell him that for a number of reasons, mainly because they were enemies and on different sides and they might be forced to kill each other one day. And the other was that she simply couldn't talk from laughing so hard.

Finally, they stopped laughing and started thinking again. Hermione got up off the floor and walked towards her bedroom door. "Let's do this, then."

"Uh, Granger…the doors the other way."

"Hang on a second, I've got something that can help." She disappeared into her room and he could hear her rummaging around for something. At last she emerged, holding something silvery and silk-like. She smiled triumphantly. "Harry's Invisibility Cloak. He gave it to me for safe keeping and in case I ever need to vanish."

"Brilliant. Now we have about five minutes to make it to Transfiguration, which they both have, which is also an eight minute walk from here." He said, looking mildly amused.

"Shit." Her smiled faded and she quickly ducked under the cloak. "Well come on, then!"

He ducked under with her and they took off, moving as quickly as they could. "How the hell do you, Potter, and Weasley all fit under here?"

"We don't. Not anymore. The last time we did…well it got uncomfortable, fast." He let out a low laugh at that and they continued on.

Both felt ridiculous, ducked under the cloak and half running, half stumbling through the halls while trying not to draw attention to the invisible bodies hurrying through the packed corridors. They made it into the Transfiguration classroom with only seconds to the spare. They both froze once inside, unsure of what to do. Eventually, Hermione grabbed Malfoy's arm and pulled him to the back corner. Carefully, they lowered themselves to the ground, being sure to keep themselves under the cloak. As soon as McGonagall started addressing the class, Draco pulled out his wand and muttered something.

"There. Now we can speak freely and they won't hear us, so long as no one gets to close." He told her and she nodded, scanning the classroom for Ginny. She found her near the back, with Zabini seated two desks behind her.

"And now we wait."

"And now we wait," He agreed pulling something out of his robes.

"A flask? You brought a flask?" She asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"How else am I supposed to get through a whole day with you?"

"Fantastic, Malfoy." She rolled her eyes. "Give it here, then."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes again, snatching it from his hand and taking a swig. It burned going down and she resisted the urge to cough. He gave her an odd look, taking it from her and taking a sip. They sat in silence after that, neither had realized how dull it was going to be, just watching the two all day. Hermione was starting to nod off when Draco pinched her arm.

"Hm? Sorry." She mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Look." He nodded in the direction of Blaise and Ginny. The class was now working on transfiguring something, but it was too far away to see exactly what. She did, however, see Ginny opening a note with Blaise stealing glances at her every few seconds. Draco snorted, "They actually think they're being subtle."

"She should know better. It's obvious." Hermione wanted to shout at Ginny for being so blind, it was clear to any observer that they had _something_ going on.

"So should he. His mum would kick his ass if she could see this." He took the flask out again, taking another long swallow before offering it to her. She accepted it and took a big gulp, enjoying the burning sensation now. It helped her to wake up.

It continued like this all day. Hermione and Draco followed Blaise and Ginny to every class, which they conveniently had together. In each one, they shared some kind of exchange, each as obvious as the first. One thing became clear throughout the day, though. This wasn't some casual thing.

It could be seen in the way Blaise always sat two seats behind Ginny and stared at her nearly the whole time, the way she would look up and see him staring and smile. When they were close to each other, it was easy to tell they were both struggling to resist the urge to say something, or to reach out and touch the other person. In the Potions, they both went to the Supply Closet and Hermione and Draco followed. Inside, Ginny was leaning over to get something off the bottom shelf and when she stood, Blaise gently tucked a fiery strand of hair behind back. She smiled softly at him, covering his hand with hers and then left. He watched her go, grinning like a love-struck fool the whole time. And he was a love-struck fool. It was plain to see, if one simply looked close enough.

* * *

Wearily, Hermione and Draco made their way back to the Head dorm and sat down on the couch.

"We can't do this to them." Hermione said, staring into the fire.

"I know."

"They're lucky they've found each other."

"I know."

"I mean, did you see them? They love each other. We can't just jump in and muck it all up."

"I know, alright? I bloody well know. I just… Them being in love doesn't change the rest of it. The war. The death sentence they'll both receive if anyone else finds out." He ran a hand through his platinum hair, taking out the now nearly empty flask and taking a drink. He passed it to her and she downed the rest in one go.

"It should though. I don't know what love is, I've never been in love, but no one should lose the kind of connection they have. It will break them both."

"This isn't right. I never wanted that type of thing… Life has always seemed too fragile for that, but looking at them, it means more now." He sounded so confused and lost, like he finally understood why people valued love so much. The whiskey didn't help, either.

A warm hand covered his and he looked up. Hermione was watching him intently. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For never taking a moment to think that maybe you're not a prick, you're just scared like the rest of us."

He stared at her, unsure of what to say. "Well… thanks, I suppose. I'm not scared though. Not of this war, not of dying."

"I know." She smiled softly at him, "You're scared of love. You're scared to care about someone because you know what loss is and you never want to feel that kind of thing."

He leaned back, tilting his head to stare at the dark ceiling, flickering with orange light from the fire. Her hand was still on top of his and he took a moment to enjoy the warmth of it. He always felt so cold. If he was ice, Blaise was fire. He was hot-headed and alive and wild, while Draco was calm and cool and quite possibly emotionless. Opposites. That's why they were such good friends. More like brothers, really. And he didn't want his brother to die and he didn't want the girl his brother loved to die, just because they loved one another.

"Blaise is being inducted into the Inner Circle tomorrow evening. That's why we needed to do something today."

"It's not too late." She said, though even she sounded unsure of that.

"Yes it is. It was too late the first moment they spoke. It's not like they can just turn it off. They're fucked and we're fucked because there is not a damn thing we can do."

"Will you be there with him?"

He nodded. "I was inducted over the summer." He paused, glancing at her. "Does that scare you?"

"No." She shook her head, looking him right in the eye. "You're not a bad person."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." She pulled on his hand, making him sit up and look at her. "Bad people don't care about people the way you do, even if you'll never admit it."

She stood, releasing his hand. "Goodnight, Draco."

"Goodnight, Hermione."

Just before she shut her door, he spoke again, "I'm sorry too. If it means anything."

"It means everything."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. If anyone is interested, I found an acoustic version of the song "Dirty Paws" by Of Monsters and Men on youtube and listened to it over and over again while writing this. I think this might actually end up being longer then intended, so bear with me if it gets a little crazy!**


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